A Thank You or More?
by LadyLokiOfBakerStreet
Summary: When teenage Loki, Thor, and Sif are out on a training exercise, the day suddenly turns more serious and possibly... romantic? This is my first Sifki fic, so I hope its not that bad...


"Loki! Hurry up, we are waiting up for you!" Thor shouted, impatience in his voice.

"I am sorry, brother." As a matter of fact, I was not sorry. Never am, really. Thor had little patience. He honestly could have done with a bit more. Nevertheless, it was getting later by the minutes. Outside the palace, the sun was high in the sky, burning down on Asgard. I stuck my golden dagger into my belt and headed to where Sif and Thor were waiting, making small talk and boasting. It was to be a training exercise, nothing more. You can never be too careful, though. Thor might call it paranoid. I just call it smart.

As soon as we stepped into the forest, I knew something was off. The forest was silent. Too silent. There were no chirping birds, no children playing. We were alone, and below the cloudy sky, everything looked quite ominous.

"Thor, we should really go back. We can train tommorow. Something is wrong. I like it not one bit." I shiver, even though the thick canopy cannot protect us from the dayʻs heat.

Sif is quick to agree. "Loki is right, Thor." She always tags along, and neither Thor nor I mind. She wants to be a warrior, not a lady. And she really could be one. She fights better than many a boy I know, with both a sword and a spear, yet sheʻs more beautiful than any other girl in Asgard. Thor says I fancy her, and perhaps I do. It hardly matters. Iʻll be wed to some other girl of noble blood, and Sif and I shall remain friends.

Thor, as usual, just laughs. "You two are cowards. There is nothing here but the forest. Besides, I reckon it will rain tommorow. Come on." There is no use arguing with Thor. He has his mind made up, and anything I said will not change it. I follow reluctantly, and Sif does the same. We will just have to hope that nothing will happen, and that for once, Thor is right. Which almost never happens, but perhaps today will be the lucky day.

We walk on for some moments in silence, venturing farther into the forest towards the clearing in which we shall practice combat skills. Thor carries three spears in his hand, ready to continue with training. The farther we walk, though, the more uneasy I am, and the darker it gets. The trees seem to close on us, making me feel trapped and worried. We need to leave, but we cannot unless we wish to leave Thor in the forest all alone to die. Tempting as that is, I shallt never do that.

Suddenly, there is a rustling from the bushes to our left side.

"Weʻre not cowards, we are just smart, brother!" I mutter. Thor finally has some sense in him. He turns around and runs back the way we come. Sif and I follow, but neither of us are nearly as gifted in speed as Thor. A black shape emerges from the bushes, creeping, the shadow casting across our path. I grab Sif by the hand and pull her along. We need to get out of here. Now. But as the shapes come closer, still not seeming to see us, I realize our best hope is to hide. Good, that is something I am much more talented at than running. We dart behind a tree, hoping Thor either realizes the smart thing to do or outruns what we can now see are giants. I know little of giants, but I do know they are rarely (no, make that never), friendly. Sif stands beside me, pressing herself to the tree, pulling her cloak tighter around her to keep it from rustling in the breeze. Just when I think I can hardly find her to be smarter, she should prove me wrong. We are both no more than in our mid-teens if we were to be Midgardians who only live for such a short time, but yet Sif seems older than that. Older than Thor. Older than me. A lady already, though she would be preferred to be called a warrior instead. She stands to her full height, which makes her seem rather formidable. Sheʻs practically as tall as me, and certainly much more attractive. Her slender fingers fumble for her sword at her waist. I grip my dagger as well, listening for heavy footfalls. Neither of us dare to check to see if Thor has gotten away or if the giants have found us. A deep gravelly voice, then a high voice. Rather higher in pitch than usual, but most certainly the voice of my brother. Damn it. They have caught him. Stupid brothers, always forcing you to endanger your life to save them because of their stupidity.

"We have got to go to rescue him." Sif whispers, anxiety creeping into her voice.

I nod. He might be a tad stupid, but he is my brother. I follow her as we run tree to tree, hiding in the shadows, listening for a sound of the captors of Thor.

"The little prince, eh? Shame you lived so short." One of the giants again, this one smaller than the first. Looks rather more like a troll, but a giant nonetheless. "Maybe we can get a handsome bounty for you, or maybe we better just kill you now and send your body back."

"I will distract them; you free Thor." Sif whispers, darting lightly from behind the tree into the clearing, sword pointed in front of her, ready to kill at the need.

"Hey, you beasts!" She practically snarls, faking a look of hatred that might be real. How she feels about Thor may be unknown to me, but she will save any friend of hers, at any cost. As the giants turn around, lumbering from their size, I run to Thor. I put a finger to my lips so he stays silent. I hastily cut the heavy ropes binding him. I am running out of tme. Sif is holding them off for now, but, though skilled, she is no match for two giants. I sigh in relief as the last rope falls free. I signal to Thor, who had no weapon, for the giants had taken his spears, to run. He obeys, for once.

I have to get Sif out of here, first of all. As Thor sprints away, I quietly creep towards the giants. Sif is backed against a boulder, kicking out as she wields her sword like an expert who had been doing so for thousands of years. I cast an illusion out in front, an art I have only recently mastered, and, when the giant turns his back on me, I jump. I drive the dagger deep into the skin as the giant turns around, using all my weight to make the wound deep. The giant wails, cursing in agony as inky blood pours onto my once-clean boots. As the other giant spins around, I stab him too. Both giants run back to the forest, screaming that they would get their revenge and for me to watch out. I land on the ground, suddenly exhausted. Sif slowly stands, wiping her bloody sword on the rock.

"Thank you, my friend. You saved my life. I wonʻt forget that Loki... and... I, I wanted to say this for a long time, but... you are really important to me." She limps towards me. Then out of nowhere, she leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. Quickly, for no more than two second. Perhaps a thank you, perhaps more. Then she turns away, her cheeks flushed in embarassment and back to her usual mature demeanor.

"Come on, night will be here soon."


End file.
